Electrical terminal and connector structure



2- w. M. JOHNSON ETAL 2,270,125

ELECTRICAL TERMINAL AND CONNECTOR STRUCTURE Filed July 12, 1959 Inventor's:

- Wiiber' M. Johnson,

Elmer B. Isaac,

'The'lr- Attorney.

Patented Jan. 13, 1942 ELECTRICAL TERMINAL AND CONNECTOR STRUCTURE Wilber M. Johnson,

.Isaac,

New York Cleveland, and Elmer B; Cleveland Heights, Ohio, General Electric Company,

assignors to a corporation of Application Jllly'12, 1939, Serial No; 284,073

4 Claims.

two pressed glass sections sealed together by fusion, with one or more filaments accurately mounted within the envelope in definite relation to the reflecting surface thereof. As an alternative for such glass reflector lamps, it has also been proposed to use a headlight compristric incandescent lamp is rigidly secured in sucha way as to position the filament or filaments within said lamp in definite relation to the re.- fiecting surface of the metal reflector member.

To produce two different types of beams, onefor city driving and the other for country driving, each headllghtlamp is provided with two separate filaments which are adapted to be epconnector means for connecting a plurality of current-supply wires to the terminals of an electrical device and which provides a positive and reliable contact with said terminals while per.- mitting ready disengagement therefrom.

Still another object of our invention is to provide connector means for connecting three or more current-supply wires to a corresponding number of terminals of an electrical device and which will co-operate interchangeably withltwo differently constructed electrical devices, the terminals of which are arranged diflerently.

Further object and advantages of our invention will appear from the following description of species thereof and from the accompanying drawing ,in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the connector means comprising our invention with the connector shown in position preparatory to itsating a metal reflector member to which an elecerated independently of one another. For this purpose, each lamp is provided with three contacts or terminals, one of which is common to both filaments. However because of the difference in the construction of the glass and the metal reflector lamps, thethree terminals of such lamps are, of necessity, located in different relation to one another. For this reason it has been somewhat of a problem to providesuitable connector means for such lamps which will operate interchangeably on either the glass or the metal reflector lamps, and in addition will insure that the proper current supply wires are connected to the proper terminals on the lamp. The, problem was further complicated by the fact that, while the connector had to be readily detachable from the lamp to thereby facilitate lamp replacement, still a suiiciently positive andreliable contact between the lamp terminals and the connector had to be provided in order to minimize the voltage drop thereat. One object of our invention is to nector means for connecting a plurality of ourrent-supply wires to the terminals of an electrical device, which is simple in construction and can be manufactured at relatively low cost.

Another object of our invention is to provide provide consition preparatory to its attachment to a glass refi ectorlamp of the type described and claimed in the above-mentioned United States Patents Nos. 2,148,314 and 2,148,315. Such lamps comprise a glass bulb or envelope H consisting of a pressed glass reflector section l2 and a cover glass section (not shown) sealed together at their rims by fusion. Within the bulb H are mounted a pair of light sources or filaments (not shown) which are connected by leading-in wires or con ductors to outwardly projecting terminal posts l3, l4 and I5, three such terminal posts being; provided in order to permit independent operation of each filament. For this purpose, one of the terminal posts (I3) is common to both of the light sources. The terminal posts entend through suitable openings in the reflector section l2, and are secured to said section by" means of metallic skirt portions it which are preferably made of a metal commercially known as Fernico and which are sunk and embedded in the thickness of the glass surrounding said openings. As shown in the drawing, the three terminalposts 13, II and I5 extend parallel to the axis of the lamp and are spaced equidistant therefrom and preferably at angles of about said axis so as to be disposed in equilateral triangular formation.

secured to each terminal post, in further accord with our invention, is a contact member or plate l1. These contact plates, like the terminal posts ll, I4 and 15, are arranged symmetrically about the lamp axis and are disposed in planes extending parallel to the said axis and equidistant therefrom. As is evident from Fig.

l, the contact plates II on the diametrically opposite or side terminal posts 13' and I i extend parallel to each other, while the contact plate IT on the intermediate post l4 extends in a direction perpendicular to the said diametrically opposite and parallel plates. Each contact plate I! is provided with a slot l8. extending in the direction of the lamp axis, the said slots being similarly located in the three contact plates.

The connector Ill for co-operation with the contact members ll comprises a block of insulating material l9, such as fibre or Bakelite, to which three elongated plate-shaped contact prongs or bus bars 20, 2| and 22 are secured by screws 23 in such a manner as to extend parallel to one another. A corresponding end oi. each bus bar is provided with a threaded hole into which attachment or binding screws 24 are threaded, while the opposite ends are secured to the current supply wires 25, 26 and 21, bus bar 22 being connected to the common lead wire 25. The bus bars 20, 2| and 22 and the binding screws 24 thereon are arranged in the same formation as the lamp contact members I! and the slots 18 therein, so that when the three binding screws 24 are partially loosened from the bus bars and are aligned with the slots l8 in the lamp contact members H, the said members may he slid between the bus bars and the heads of the binding screws 24 thereon. The said screws are then tightened to firmly clamp the bus bars to the lamp contacts I'l.

Fig. 2 illustrates the connector I according to our invention arranged in position preparatory to its attachment to a metal reflector lamp. Such lamps comprise a metal reflector section 28 secured to thebase 29 of a small electric incandescent lamp 30, such as by soldering. The said lamp is provided with a pair of filaments 3|, 32, and the metal reflector 28 is secured to the lamp in definite optical relationship to such filaments. The end of the lamp base 29 is provided with an insulating member or disc 33 of suitable material, such as Bakelite. to which three contact members 34, 35 and 36 are secured. The filaments 3], 32 are connected by leading-in wires 31 to the lamp contacts 34, B and 35, the contact 34 being common to bot filaments.

To cooperate with the connector Ill according to our invention, the lamp contacts 34, 35 and 28 are so shaped and arranged as to present rearwardly extending projections or prongs 38 disposed in the same relative formation as the contacts I! on the glass reflector lamp shown in Fig. 1. In addition, these projections 38, like the contacts 11, are provided with slots 39 similar to the slots I8 to thereby receive the binding screws 24 on the connector. The attachment oi the connector to the lamp is accomplished in the same manner as before, the rearwardly extending pron s 3B of the lamp contacts 34, 35 and 36 being slid between the bus bars on the connector and the heads of the binding screws 24 thereon and the said screws then tightened to firmly clamp the contacts and bus bars together.

It is thus evident that by arranging the slotted contacts on the glass reflector lamp of Fig. 1 and the metal reflector lamp of Fig. 2 in the same relative position, the connector l0 according to our invention willco-operate interchangeably therewith. Furthermore, the binding screws 24 securely clamp the connector bus bars and lamp contacts together so as toprovide a positive and reliable contact therebetween, thus minimizing the voltage drop at such points of connection. This is or particular importance in view of the relatively low voltage at which the lamps reterredto are operated.

The connection means described hereinabove is simple in construction and canbe manufactured ,at relatively low cost. Furthermore, even though the connector in is securely connected to the lamp terminals so as to provide positive and reliable contact therewith, still it is readily detachable therefrom so that lamp replacements can be made in a comparatively simple manner. In this connection, the connectoraccording to the invention insures that the proper currentsupply wires are connected to the proper lamp terminals whenever such lamp replacements are made.

It will be obvious that the glass reflector lamp of Fig. 1 may be provided with the rearwardly extending prongs 38, shown in Fig. 2, in which case the outwardly extending posts [3, l4 and -15 may be omitted and the said prongs. brazed or otherwise secured directly to the ends of the skirts or cups l6, as shown in Fig. 3. In such case, the skirts l6 are not provided with openings for the said posts, and thui nform a part of the hermetically sealed envelope or bulb ll. Such a structure obviates the necessity for a brazed hermetic joint between the said posts and skirts.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An electric lamp comprising a glass envelope having a pair of filaments sealed therein, and a terminal structure comprising three metallic cup members arranged at the corners of a triangle at the exterior of said envelope and having their edges fused into a wall of said envelope around openings therein, said cup members being imperforate and thereby hermetically sealing said openings, lead-in conductors within said envelope secured to the interiors of said cup members and electrically connected to said filaments, and three L-shaped prong members each having-its base portion secured to the exterior of one of said cup members, the stem portions of said prong members extending outwardly from said envelope substantially parallel to each other for making connection with an electrical conhector.

2. An electric lamp comprising a. glass envelope having a pair of filaments sealed therein, and a terminal structure comprising three metallic cup members arranged at the corners of a triangle at the exterior of said envelope and having their edges fused into a wall oi said envelope around openings therein, lead-in conductors secured to said cups and electrically connected to said filaments, and three L-shaped prong members each supported by its base portion from one of said cup members, the stem portions of said prong members extending outwardly from said envelopesubstantielly parallel to each other for making connection with an electrical connector. I

3. An electric lamp comprising a glass envelope having a pair of filaments sealed therein, and a terminal structure comprising three metallic cup members arranged at the corners of a triangle at the exterior of said envelope and 1 having their edges fused into a wall of said envelope around openings therein, lead-in conductors secured'to said cups and electrically connected to said filaments and three L-shaped prong members supported by their base portions from said cup members and electrically connected one to each of said cup members, the stem portions of said prong members extending outward- 1y from said envelope substantially parallel to each other for making connection with an electrical connector.

4. An electric lamp comprising a glass enveope having at least one filament sealed therein, and a terminal structure comprising a plurality of cup members at the exterior of said envelopehaving their edges fused into a wall of said envelope around openings therein, lead-in conductors supported by said cups and electrically connected to said filament, and a plurality of L-shaped prong members corresponding in numher to said cup members, said prong members beingsupported by their base portions from said cup members and being electrically connected one to each of said cup members, the stem portions of said prong members extending outwardly from said envelope substantially parallel to each other for making connection with an electrical connector.

- WILBER M. JOHNSON.

ELMER B. ISAAC. 

